December 22, 1894. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
263 
injury from the jolting, which carefully as they may 
be carried, they have to endure in a greater or less 
degree during the journey. 
A little care and attention must be exercised 
in the management of forcing pits containing 
fermenting material for the plunging of those plants 
which are being subjected to forcing. The atmos¬ 
pheric temperature must be in proportion to that of 
the plunging material. The mean of the latter 
should exceed by several degrees that of the former. 
Thus, if the bottom heat is 75 0 Fahr., or there¬ 
abouts, the atmospheric temperature should range 
from 64° by night, to 72 0 by day, or 75 Q with sun- 
heat. Pits of this kind are very suitable for the 
forcing of Roses, Azaleas, and indeed the generality 
of hard-wooded subjects, the introduction of which, 
as mentioned in a previous calendar, must be 
executed with an eye to the forming of suitable 
successions. 
Cold frames, also, must on no account be 
neglected. Whenever a favourable chance occurs, 
their inmates should be thoroughly looked over, and 
all dead leaves picked off, all moss removed from 
the surface of the soil in the pots, and the ashes on 
which they stand raked over. But little water will 
be required by the majority of the plants, and what 
little is needed must be judiciously given, for, should 
frost at any time find its way into the frames, the 
dryer the atmosphere, the less likely will the plants 
be to sustain injury. In such cases, moreover, the 
frame must be kept closely covered for a day or two 
to admit of a gradual thaw, otherwise the con¬ 
sequences may be of a rather serious nature .—A S.G. 
-I- 
White Scale on Cattleyas and Laelias.— 
Advantage should be taken of the dull winter months 
where there is very little that can be done in comfort 
outside, to thoroughly clean the stages and walls of 
all dirt and the plants from all insect pests, for 
during the busy summer months, unless there is 
plenty of help, they are sure to become infested little 
or much with that destructive pest, the white scale. 
I say destructive, because if left undisturbed, they 
will soon suck the very life out of the plants. They 
are most artful, too, in their mode of attack, 
selecting, as they do in most cases, the undersides of 
the leaves and the inside of the bracts that envelope 
the bulbs, and where left to their own devices for 
long will work down amongst the roots, and when 
they do, the difficulty of getting rid of them is 
increased two-fold. When talking to an enthusiastic 
amateur on this subject recently, I was asked how 
we managed to keep it in check, as he had found 
some difficulty in keeping it under, and I replied, by 
simply sponging, especially when they are located in 
the apex of the bulbs, or along the rhizome. For 
this purpose we use an old tooth brush, than which 
there is nothing better. It beats the pointed stick 
with a bit of sponge on the end hollow, as the work 
is done quicker and more effectually without 
damaging the plants in the least. Rain water with 
a little soft soap added is, we think, the best solution 
to use when sponging, but the addition of soap, 
unless the water is hard, is immaterial, as the lather 
caused by the friction hampers the work somewhat. 
Imported Plants. —I fear the primary cause of 
so many plants being infested with this scale, is 
the laxity shown with newly-imported plants. 
Before potting up, they should be thoroughly 
cleaned, and every rotten bulb, leaf, or decayed 
root, be cut away. If this is done and the plants 
are treated in a rational manner afterwards, the 
trouble with them would be reduced to a minimum, 
Yellow Thrips.— Do they cripple the spikes of 
Odontoglossums ? is a question often asked, but 
there can be no doubt whatever about it, and what 
is more, they will, in time, kill the plant outright 
if not got rid of. We have had our ups and downs 
with this beautiful class of Orchids, and like most 
people, have had to pay for our learning. The 
best remedy that I know of, and one I have used 
for some years, is dipping the plants in a strong 
solution of Tobacco water. Two pounds of the best 
Tobacco paper (not rags), will make four gallons, 
which will kill any thrips that may be about with¬ 
out doing the slightest damage to the plants. 
Last October twelve months we bought a batch of 
semi-established O. crispums which were literally 
alive with thrips. We turned them out of their pots 
and removed every particle of material from their 
roots, afterwards dipping them them about three 
times in a solution of the above character. They 
were then potted up into small pots, and since that 
time they have never looked back, and are now a 
fine batch of plants just pushing strong spikes.—C. 
* 
Horse Radish. 
Now that the foliage of this has died down, the crop 
should be lifted, and after selecting the best growths 
for kitchen use and storing some away in sand, the 
others should be laid in at the foot of a north wall, 
in which position they will keep fresh and crisp for 
a considerable time. The young slender roots should 
then be selected for planters. All little rootlets 
ought to be rubbed off, so that a clean, straight one 
be left, as such make the best sets. The ground on 
which Horse Radish is grown cannot be too rich, 
and if it can be dug two spits without turning up 
the subsoil the roots are more likely to grow strong, 
and such are always the most juicy. Many gardeners 
grow this crop in any out-of the-way corner, but 
this is a great mistake, for if a little be well grown it 
will be far better than having a lot of inferior 
quality. If the ground on which this crop is grown 
is very stiff, holes should be made 2 in. or 3 in. in 
diameter and deep enough to take the sets. These 
holes should be made in rows about 2 ft. apart, 
allowing 6 in. or 8 in. between them in the row. 
Some light rich soil should be prepared for filling 
them in. Horse Radish treated in this way seldom 
fails to give satisfaction even in the worst of soil. 
Store Houses. 
During bad weather all roots of every description 
should be looked over, and any that are found going 
to decay ought to be at once removed. Place seed 
Potatos on their ends in order that the growths 
made may be of a robust character. There is more 
in this than most people are aware of, for the less 
the tubers waste their energies on producing 
worthless sprouts that will have to be rubbed off, the 
stronger will they grow after being planted. It is a 
mistaken idea to think that because tubers will keep 
making new growth after the other is removed this 
does not weaken them. Such, however, is the fact, 
as we have more than once proved Early varieties, 
particularly those that were lifted and stored away 
soon after growth was completed, start more readily 
than others remaining in the ground till October ; 
these will need to be examined and spread out thinly 
at once. 
Seakale. 
Where a quantity of this has to be forced, the roots 
may now be lifted, and if these are laid in at the 
foot of a north wall and afterwards covered with 
rough litter to exclude frosts, supplies may be 
drawn from them at any time they are required. 
The ground can then be dug and prepared for future 
crops. Seakale is one of those winter vegetables 
that is always in great demand, and as but little heat 
is required to induce it to grow, every garden should 
have a good stock of roots available for forcing. If 
these are now lifted as described above, there will 
be no anxiety on the part of the gardener about not 
being able to force them should the ground become 
frozen hard. 
Peas. 
Seeds sown towards the latter end of last month 
will, owing to the mild weather, be pushing through 
the soil. A quantity cf sifted leaf soil should be 
ready at hand, and if severe frosts should set in the 
plants should be covered by spreading this about 
2 in. thick along the rows. Should the weather 
continue mild sprinkle a little lime along them to 
ward off the snails. Do not, however, tread on the 
ground in doing so, but place a board alongside the 
rows, as this will prevent the soil from being carried 
on to the paths. 
Lettuce. 
Have everything in readiness to protect the plants 
in the seed bed that are intended to be transplanted 
in spring. A very slight protection will often save 
a crop that might otherwise be lost if allowed to 
take its chance. Too much coddling should be 
avoided, as this has a tendency to make the plants 
tender .—Kitchen Gardener. 
©leanings ftront fire IDorltr 
uf Science. 
Peach Yellows.—This is a disease affecting the 
Peach and others allied to it, such as the Nectarine, 
Almond, Apricot and in some cases Japanese Plums. 
Happily it is but seldom met with in this country, a 
fact due perhaps to climatal conditions. An exten¬ 
sive area of the north-east corner of the United 
States is affected by it, and in those regions where 
the Peach flourishes most luxuriantly, and is most 
extensively planted for commercial purposes. It 
takes ten or fifteen years to effect a complete des- 
struction of an affected orchard ; but as a rule the 
progress of the disease is very slow in its early stages, 
that is, after one or two affected trees have been 
detected. The disease is slowly spreading farther 
afield, and when it occurs in a new locality it has 
generally been traced to young trees which have 
been brought from an infected district. 
The Characters of the Disease.—The pres¬ 
ence of the malady may be detected towards the 
ripening period of the fruit by the premature ripen¬ 
ing of the latter and its unusually high colour. The 
skin is more or less covered with red spots which 
extend into the flesh as well, rendering it insipid or 
even bitter, The ripening may take place a few 
days or even some weeks before the proper time. 
Again in autumn the affected trees unfold their 
winter buds forming short shoots, small rosettes of 
leaves or broom-like growths, all of which are 
unseasonable and unmistakably indicate the progress 
of the disease. These latter signs are best seen after 
the normal foliage has fallen. A lengthy account of 
the yellows is given with illustrations in the Farmer's 
Bullettin, No. 17 of the United States Department of 
Agriculture. The broom-like growth that arises after 
the tree has been labouring under the disease for 
some years remind one of the so-called witches’ 
broom on the Birch and other trees, or of bunches 
of Mistleto when the rest of the tree is leafless in 
winter. Though previously vigorous with green and 
healthy leaves, the growth becomes stunted, and 
the foliage in summer assumes a red or yellow hue, 
the tree gradually becomes less vigorous, and finally 
dies. 
How the disease is spread.—The most 
common method by which a fungoid disease spreads 
is the scattering of spores from unhealthy to healthy 
trees. This is all the more rapidly effected if the 
fungus produces spores upon the surface and 
exposed to the action of wind or even a gentle breath 
of air; and this is usually the case. In other 
instances, however, as in the- case of bacteria and 
also in the case of some animals such as nematoid 
worms, the disease is communicated or conveyed by 
soil or water. The yellows is simply transmitted by 
budding and grafting. Shoots or buds taken from 
the most vigorous and healthy shoots of a diseased 
tree contain the virus of the malady within them in 
a latent condition, and when placed even on healthy 
stocks will show the disease, it may be on the first 
growths made, The buds on the latter develop into 
unseasonable growths in the autumn, just as the 
unhealthy tree from which they were taken, does. 
The stock also gets infected by having a bud from an 
unhealthy tree inserted upon it. So far as has been 
ascertained an unhealthy tree will not communicate 
the disease to a healthy one by mere contact, even if 
prolonged, of their branches; there must be a union 
of the tissues No fungus, bacteria nor animal parasite 
is known to have any definite relation to the yellows, 
which is, nevertheless, an infectious disease, though 
science has been unable, hitherto, to show how it is 
transmitted except by innoculation. It spreads, 
however, and finally makes a clean sweep of a healthy 
orchard. Peach yellows seems allied to what is 
known as variegation. 
Means of Prevention. — The disease first 
appeared at South Haven in 1869 amongst a few 
trees in an orchard, and in five years had spread 
alarmingly. The Michigan Peach growers have 
been fighting the disease for the last twenty years, 
and their method is to grub up and burn root and 
branch of every affected tree. This has retarded the 
disease to a great extent, but has not, and seems 
powerless to exterminate it. In other regions where 
this has not been pursued, Peach growing has in 
several cases been abandoned. Yet the Michigan 
growers profitably carry on the cultivation of Peach 
orchards. Young trees are planted in the places 
from which the diseased ones were removed, and 
they prove as thrifty as any others in the orchard. 
In some States the removal of affected trees has been 
enforced by a law agreed upon for the common good, 
and in some cases it has been made a misdemeanor 
to buy or sell fruit affected with the disease; and 
this insures the rooting up of unhealthy trees. 
Manures have been applied, but without any pre¬ 
ventive effect upon the disease, 
